Celebrating LGBTQ+ history at Findmypast

From reports of local scandals to a glimpse into contemporary attitudes about gender, there is nothing that can't be found in our millions of digitised newspaper pages.

Given the different laws regulating gender and sexuality in the past, court records can be useful for exploring those on the margins of straight society.

There are secrets to be uncovered within a census return - we just need to think outside of the box. Longstanding landlord-tenant arrangements may have been a subtle way to disguise a same-sex relationship.

Like census returns, marriage records can conceal all manner of hidden private lives. Though difficult to identify decisively, marriages of convenience took place, which concealed one or both parties' homosexuality.

Wills provide insight into the friends and chosen family of LGBT people, so pay close attention to who your ancestors left their possessions to.

While not available for lots of us, personal effects like letters and photographs provide invaluable insight into how people felt, what they thought... in short, how they really lived.